


A Night on the Town

by mikey_distortion



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: AroAce Lloyd, Aromantic Lloyd, Asexual Lloyd Garmadon, Bruiseshipping, Crushes, First Date, Fluff, Gen, Jay Walker has ADHD, Kissing, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Mutual Pining, Neurodivergent Jay Walker, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining, Polyninja but not really its just 3 of them, Rollerskating, Sneaking Out, lavashipping - Freeform, plasmashipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikey_distortion/pseuds/mikey_distortion
Summary: Jay has a a plan to take Cole and Kai on a surprise date! But he sort of... forgot to tell them that it's a date... and/or that he was going to wake them up at an unholy hour of the morning to do so.
Relationships: Cole/Jay Walker, Cole/Kai (Ninjago), Cole/Kai/Jay Walker, Kai/Jay Walker, Nya/Skylor (Ninjago), P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Kudos: 27





	1. Wake Up Loser We're Going Rollerskating

**Author's Note:**

> I really wish I could tell you guys when this takes place but I have literally no idea just picture uhhh like uhhmmm the vauge nostalgia of the first season but also they're on the Bounty in Ninjago City and there's nothing bad happening/ they're all happy and safe so basically no episode of ninjago ever but it's also all of them at the same time :))

" _Cole!_ "

He groaned, slowly burrowing further under his comforter. 

" _Cole! Kai!_ "

The latter mumbled out a low string of curses, sleepily turning over to escape the pestering voice. 

" _Cole, wake up dude,_ " the excited voice whispered again. " _C'mon, I've got a surprise for you guys!_ "

Cole finally gave in, opening his heavy eyes and sputtering out a " _WhatdoyouwantJayI'mtryingtosleep_ " before shutting them once again. 

He felt two hands cradling his face, stroking one cheek. They were really, _really_ cold. 

Cole's eyes shot open with a yelp. He abruptly sat up, breathing heavily and clutching his blankets around him. " _Jesus_ , Jay, don't you know how to ask nicely?" 

The blue ninja, perched on the side of Cole's lower bunk, widened his eyes in alarm and quickly made a motion to be quiet. " _Shut up, won't you? It's not a secret if everyone knows,_ " Jay hissed. “ _Now stay awake, I’m gonna get Kai._ ” He grinned at Cole as he stood and made his way to Kai’s bed. 

Cole watched as Jay made his way up the ladder to Kai’s bunk, creeping slowly and with quiet anticipation. Crawling onto his mattress, Jay kneeled over the red ninja. He looked back at Cole once with that same little smirk before sliding his freezing hands under Kai’s neck. 

Kai scrambled back with a coarse gasp, abruptly awoken and _not_ happy about it. 

“ _What the hell?_ ” he spat at Jay, who sat next to him with that _stupid_ little _grin_. 

Jay smiled at him once before sliding back down the ladder and making his way back to Cole. Excitement bubbled up inside of him, spilling over onto his face. “ _Get dressed, you two,_ ” He whispered loudly. “ _We’re going rollerskating._ ”

There was an audible groan from the other two. 

“ _Jay, it’s-_ ” Cole checked the clock on his bedside table. “ _-It’s like 3 in the morning._ ” 

“ _I know! Isn’t it awesome?_ ” Jay flapped his hands up and down, bouncing on his heels. “ _I’ve never been skating this late- or uh-this early before!_ ”

“ _Jay, man, I don’t-_ ” Kai started, but stopped as Jay turned to face him. He just looked so _happy_ about it. And he knew they all needed a break. Maybe Jay was onto something. “ _You know what? Let’s do it._ ” He threw off his blankets, hopping out and onto the wooden deck. 

Cole let out a quiet noise of exasperation. “ _You’re kidding, right? You’ve got to be-_ ” He stopped as Kai shot him a poisonous look from behind Jay. “ _Ugh_ , fine. _But only because I’m already awake._ ” He slid out of bed with a yawn. “ _And only if you make Kai put on a shirt._ ” Kai quietly scoffed.

“ _It’s not_ my _fault Cole can’t keep his eyes off me,_ ” he preened, grinning at him. “ _And if I have to wear a shirt,_ Cole _has to put on some pants._ ”

Cole opened his mouth to snap back, but Jay just shushed them both with a bemused expression. “ _Ok, ok, both of you go put something on. Something… flashy,_ ” he said in the same hushed voice. “ _This is a night on the town, after all._ ”

They both rolled their eyes, but begrudgingly grabbed some clothes and snuck off to change. 

Jay watched them leave the room, still smiling to himself. _Night on the town, my foot._ They were going to go out together, but Jay had intended it to be, well- going _out_ together. He had lost the courage he'd mustered up to tell them it was supposed to be a date. _I'll tell them eventually_. Yeah, right. He'd figure something out, but it wasn't gonna be easy. He knew that much.

_Here goes nothing._


	2. Crop Tops Should Be Illegal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three ninja have a slight wardrobe malfunction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello me again my headcanon Kai has freckles because in that one scene in Masters of Spinjitzu where Kai and Nya get shown as kids and Baby Kai has freckles but Present-day Kai doesn't so i think he covers them up because he's insecure about them anyways im workign on ch. 3 it'll hopefully be out in the next day or so :))

Cole stood outside the bathroom door, tapping his foot with impatience as silently as he could. Kai stood in front of the mirror, behind the closed door, putting the finishing touches onto his face. 

“Y’know, Kai, it wouldn’t kill you to _not_ cover up your freckles,” Cole said softly through the sliding door. He didn’t have to see Kai to feel the glare of indignation that got shot at him.   
“If people see me with freckles, I’ll lose my hard-earned reputation as the _cool_ ninja,” came the reply. Cole scoffed. 

“We all know that’s me,” he said, a hint of amusement slipping into his tone. “You’re the stupid one.”

He smirked at Kai's acrimonious reply. Cole really did wish Kai wouldn't cover up the spattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose. He'd been covering them up with concealer since Cole had first met him, something about fragile masculinity and his self esteem, yada yada. They were cute. _He_ was cute. A layer of makeup couldn't hide that. 

Cole shook his head, clearing his mind. He couldn't think about him like that. He wasn't allowed; the whole team could fall apart if he were to do something as stupid as fall for his best friend. 

The door slid open, revealing Kai, who promptly draped himself over the doorframe in a jokingly seductive stance. Leaning on it with one forearm, the cherry-red crop top he wore teased one side of his torso. "Whaddya think?"

Cole was glad it was dark in the hallway where he stood. If Kai could see how florid he was right now, he'd lose it. "Not bad, hotshot," he managed to get out. "Not bad at all." He ignored Kai's cocky grin as Cole pushed past him and into the restroom. 

Kai made his way out of the hallway and ducked back into the cabin. " _Jay?_ " he whispered into the dark. " _Are you still in here?_ " 

He was met with silence and the occasional snore from Lloyd. Kai squinted into the black, making out the shapes of Zane and Lloyd, still fast asleep in their bunks. He frowned slightly in confusion before ducking back out. 

Walking to the upper deck, he saw Jay where he stood by the railings, looking out over the neon glow of the city. 

"Jay?"

The blue ninja visibly tightened upon hearing his name. Jay's face flushed instantly, and he quickly clasped his hand over his heart and held his breath. _Calm down, dude, calm down, calm down-_

"Jay!" Kai touched his shoulder, and Jay whipped around with a yelp. 

"Kai! S-sorry, I didn't hear you coming," he laughed awkwardly, hoping that it wasn't obvious that he was as red as Kai's _stupidly_ attractive crop top. Jay's eyes wandered down to the hint of his abs for a moment before they shot back up to meet his eyes. Kai eyed him suspiciously, sending a wave of panic over Jay.

“Why did you only wake up me and Cole?” He asked. “Zane and Lloyd are still asleep, and if I had to guess, Nya and P.I.X. and Skylor are too.”

“W-well, I-” Jay stuttered, reaching for a response. “-I just figured it’d be good to have a- like a ‘single guys’ night? I-I mean, since Zane and P.I.X. are a thing, and Lloyd’s not even into romance stuff, and well… y’know…” He trailed off, carefully dancing around the subject. 

“And Nya and Skylor. Yeah,” Kai said flatly. It'd been a bit of a sore topic between the two of them. He'd hoped to get closer to Skylor after the island, maybe even make a move, but after she met Nya there'd been no looking back. Jay had been upset too; especially since he'd been working up the courage to ask Nya to be his Yang right about the time she fell head over heels for the Master of Amber. They hadn't talked about it much, but they knew each other well enough by now not to bring it up. 

"Ah, uhm, a-anyways, it's been a while since we just like, hung out, so I thought it'd be fun?" Jay said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. 

Kai had just opened his mouth to speak when Cole surfaced from the belly of the Bounty. 

"Well Kai?" He said, positioning himself on the exterior doorframe in a mockery of the red ninja. " _Whaddya think?_ "

Cole wore a black tee that was more holes than shirt, cut short at the waist with torn-off sleeves. Kai clicked his tongue. 

"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, y'know," he joked, feigning a serious face. "And you know my ego doesn't need inflation."

Jay made a noise of protest, pulling off the blue hoodie he had been wearing to reveal _yet another damn crop top_. "Two of us have to change, and it's _not_ gonna be me," he said in exasperation. 

"No time," grinned Kai, checking the small wristwatch on his arm. "It's already 3:30."

Cole smiled back. "What a shame! I guess we've all got to go looking like this!"

Jay rolled his eyes, but made his way over to the ladder down to the rooftops below. "Fine. Fine! I guess I'll just have to wear it better than you _both_."

Kai smirked. "Impossible!" 

They all shared a laugh, and one by one, made their way down the ladder and into the night.


	3. In Which Jay Forgot to ask if They Can All Actually Skate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai... can't skate. But he's already at the skating rink, and there's no turning back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry these are such short chapters gjhljhkjgh there's probably gonna be a lot of them too uhh but yeah next one will be out in the next day or so!! the next couple are gonna have a LOT of tension-building and pining so hopefully they'll be longer :))

The bright neon sign, blasting nothing but the word "Skating" into the night, hung above the three. 

"Finally," mumbled Kai, which got him a smack upside the back of the head from Cole. "What? Ten minutes is a long time to be walking!"

"Says the guy who has literally scaled _multiple_ mountains," Cole retorted. 

"Oh shut up, won't you guys?" Jay held open the rink's door. "My arm's getting tired." 

Cole and Kai begrudgingly made their way inside the building, walking up to the desk. 

" _Who's paying for this?_ " hissed Kai to the others. " _I'm not giving someone money so I can fall on my face at a run-down skating rink in the middle of the night._ " 

"Relax, I've got it," said Jay, sauntering up to the counter, wallet in hand. As he paid, he snuck glances back at the other two. Jay had been hoping to impress them. _What, like dragging them out of bed after midnight and taking them to this place was gonna be forgiven? Because oh! It's okay! I’m gonna pay for it! God, I’m hopeless._

Jay walked back to the others with three pairs of skates in his hands and a giant grin on his face. Cole and Kai each took a pair, and the trio headed over to a bench a little ways away from the edge of the arena. As they laced up the shoes, Kai surveyed the open skating rink, completely empty. A blacklight flooded the floor in purple, and a host of lasers shone seemingly at random across the room. _As if skating in broad daylight wasn’t difficult enough._ Kai tied off the skates and stood cautiously. Painstakingly shuffling across the tacky arcade carpet, he kept a death grip on anything near him that could keep him upright. 

“Are you okay, buddy?” Cole snickered, watching as Kai dragged himself to the rink.

“I’m fine,” came the reply through gritted teeth. He’d reached the end of any handholds, and the length of carpet leading the final steps to the arena was painfully bare of anything to grab onto. _Deep breaths._

The wheels of death attached to the godforsaken skates betrayed Kai as soon as he took an unassisted step. Arms fruitlessly waving, his sliding legs ran in place as he struggled to keep his balance. He could feel himself falling backwards, and adrenaline pumped through his system. And then, just as suddenly as he had tripped, he felt the touch of warm hands saving him from the carpet below him. He froze in the grasp of his savior. “Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” 

Cole stood behind Kai, one hand tucked under his armpit and another resting on his back. Kai could feel his back pressed up against Cole’s chest, their arms intertwined, Cole’s breath on his cheek, heavy and warm and damp-

“Whoa, are you alright man?” Jay rolled over, bemused. “You can- you can skate, right?”

Cole gently slid away from Kai, watching him with the same humor in his eyes. “I’d hope so. I mean, you did agree to come rollerskating and gave up- I don’t know- seven hours of sleep to do so?”

Kai could feel his face growing hot. “Of course I know how to skate!” _I have no idea how to skate._

Jay squinted at him with suspicion. “Okay… you better be telling the truth, because I was thinking we could play a round of tag- on skates,” he grinned. “It’d be a shame if you fell over in the middle of the most fun game ever!”

“Psht, I’ll be fine, dude.” Kai was lying through his teeth and Cole knew it. He side-eyed the black ninja, who was struggling not to laugh out loud. “Don’t worry about me.” He shot Cole a poisonous look, and began to make his wobbly journey to the rink once again.

_I’m_ not _gonna be fine._


	4. In Which Kai is Not, in Fact, Fine; Until He Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai struggles both with skating, and what he's feeling about his best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhfhfnfmmfmmmfnfnfmfm im gonna go ballistic that's it thats the notes

Kai gripped the guide rails lining the arena, watching Jay and Cole race around the circle at dizzying speeds. They’d let him sit out until they had made five laps. They were starting the second. Kai’s stomach sank as they whipped by him, laughing and breathing hard. When’d they learn how to go that _fast_? He added up the seconds in his head, coming to the conclusion that he had about two minutes before he had to humiliate himself in front of them. He could feel his face flush up at the thought. 

Three laps. 

It’d be different if it was the whole team; sure, it’d still be degrading, but not the same as in front of _them_. Kai didn’t really know why the idea scared him so much. They were his best friends, he shouldn’t have to feel like he needed to impress them all the time. 

Four laps.

But they were also more than that. He couldn’t quite place where they fit into his picture of the world yet, but he knew part of him wanted them to see him differently than the others. Like, _really_ wanted. Kai’s stomach fluttered at the thought, but he pushed it down, gritting his jaw. He couldn’t afford to make any stupid mistakes.   
Five laps. 

Jay, breathing hard and beaming, slammed into the guide rail next to Kai. His eyes glowed with excitement, disheveled and wind-blown hair making a dark halo around his head under the purple lights. Kai tried in vain to not watch the sweat slide down his face, tracing the shape of his perfect, round jaw. 

“Are you ready?” Kai hesitated, but nodded his head firmly; filled with sudden determination. He was gonna do this if it killed him. _But why? This is only gonna end badly._ He looked into Jay’s eyes, deep and shining under the ultra-violet, full of anticipation and expectation. _You know why._

“Well then,” said Jay, suddenly smug. “You’re it!” He reached out and touched Kai’s arm, turned tail, and sped away. Kai blinked once in surprise, watching Jay roll away. Then, steadily as he could, he began to slide forwards.   
\---  
“Go easy on him, alright?” whispered Jay, skating past Cole. “He keeps saying he knows what he’s doing, but-”   
“-But he’s Kai, so he probably has absolutely no clue,” finished Cole. “Yeah. I’ll be nice.” He winked at the blue ninja, turning around and skating towards Kai.

Staying teasingly out of reach, Cole circled the struggling master of fire. Kai lurched forwards, trying to touch him, but he managed to dance out of arm-range. “And you said that you can, in fact, rollerskate?”

Kai rolled his eyes and groaned. “Shut up, man.”

Cole eyed him, watching as he held out his arms for balance and shuffled pathetically across the rink. He positioned himself directly in front of him, baiting him to move in his direction. Kai huffed once, but then, his face was filled with a new confidence. Cole didn’t like that look. It meant that Kai had gotten an idea, which was notoriously never good for anyone who happened to be involved. A smirk painted itself across Kai’s face as he put his hands behind him and leaned forward. Cole’s eyes widened, and he barely had time to shout in protest before Kai shot flame behind him, rocketing him towards the black ninja. 

Jay heard the collision and winced. Slowly turning around, he saw the other two entangled on the floor, lightly toasted and smoking. “So I actually- ouch- I actually can’t skate, guys. Sorry,” came Kai’s voice from the knot of slightly crispy ninja.

Jay’s laughter rang out across the arena as he made his way towards them. Kai’s chest tightened at the sound. He could listen to that laugh forever. 

Through the pain of the crash, he smiled as Jay took his hand and gently helped him to his feet. 

_Maybe I’m gonna be okay_.


	5. Deep in the Closet. (The Broom Closet, that is)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the incident with the fire, some clean-up is called for. The broom closet, however, looks _just perfectly_ Cole-sized, and he has very little self-restraint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter yet, i think !! working on the next one :))

After shaking the smoke out of their hair and dusting off the grime from the floor of the arena, Jay turned to Kai. “What do you say we teach you how to skate? So we can maybe _not_ let this happen again.” He gestured to the remaining ash that lay on the black tile beneath them, almost indistinguishable under the blacklight. 

“Yes!” Kai blurted out before catching himself. “I mean uh, yeah, whatever, if you want.” He crossed his arms, trying to look detached from the situation. 

“Great!” Jay smiled. “I’ve just got to run to the desk real quick and apologize for the mess first.” They watched as he rolled towards the exit and out of the rink. 

Cole elbowed Kai in the ribs with a snort. “Nice save, Romeo.”

“W-what are you talking about, man?” sputtered Kai, turning an impossible shade of red. Cole just smirked.

“‘Oh yes, I’d _love_ for you to teach me Jay!’” Cole sapped teasingly, clasping his hands together with an overdone lovestruck look in his eyes. “‘Hold me in your arms so I don’t fall! Oh, whatever shall I do without you!’”

He was responded to with a jab in the side, and burst out laughing. “Seriously man, I don’t know when you got it, but you got it _bad_.” Before Kai could respond, Jay came sliding back onto the rink and up to his two friends. His face betrayed the promise of bad news.

“Okay, so I managed to convince him not to kick us out for almost setting the place on fire, as long as we clean up after.” He held up a tiny key, pointing to a broom closet on the edge of the arena. The other two groaned at the mention of cleaning.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you guys I couldn’t skate, and for using that stupid trick with the fire.” Kai looked down at the floor, feeling guilty. “This is my fault. You guys should go back to the Bounty, I’ll stay behind and clean up this mess.”

He looked up at Cole’s touch. “C’mon, man, there’s no need for that kinda thinking. We’ll clean up together,” said the black ninja, hand resting on Kai’s shoulder. Jay nodded, a determined grin on his face. 

“We’re a team, Kai. Of course we’ll all stay.” Jay paused, raising a finger as a counterpoint. “-As long as you promise that you won’t fall on your face when we teach you how to shred the rink later.”

Kai let out a bout of relieved laughter. “No promises, but I’ll try.” His smile faded, leaving an honest and thankful look on his face. “Thank you guys. Really.”

The other two just smiled at him. The three lingered for a moment, taking in each other’s faces, the strange solidarity passing between them stretching seconds into minutes; before Jay broke off the tension.

“The uh- the broom closet is over here.” He quickly turned away, motioning to the door on the side of the oval and rolling away. Hiding his rapidly flushing face from the others, he skated towards the broom closet. Kai and Cole shared a confused glance before following suit. 

Upon unlocking the closet and switching on the single lightbulb that swung from the low ceiling, the ninja peered into the dingy room. It contained two brooms, some buckets, and a couple pans. And it was _tiny_. There was barely enough room for the brooms, and the stack of small buckets in one dank corner. Cobwebs dusted every surface in the compartment. Kai let out a low whistle. “When’d you think this place was last _cleaned_?”

Jay shook his head. “Try _never_. It’s like a tomb in there!” He shuddered. Kai reached inside, gingerly removing the pair of brooms and avoiding the web that frosted their handles. 

“There’s only two here.” Kai frowned. “I’ll go see if the guy in the front has another one.” He turned, slowly shuffling across the rink. 

As Kai worked his way towards the desk, Cole turned back to the little room. Jay didn’t like the little smirk that crept up on his face _or_ the vague twinkle that appeared in his eyes. It was the same look that had been the beginning of a staggering number of bad ideas. _What is it this time?_

“Jay, do you think I could fit in there?” _There it was._

Jay shook his head furiously. “Nope. Nuh-uh. Absolutely not.” _Too late._ Cole was already stepping inside. 

Surprisingly, he did fit. “It’s actually bigger than it looks.” He smiled at the blue ninja from where he stood inside, batting away cobweb. “In fact, there may even be room for a certain ninja who didn’t think there’d be enough space!” There was a moderate gap left across from Cole, but Jay was _not_ about to climb inside a dusty, dingy closet that was quite possibly older than he was just to ‘see if he could fit.’ No way. He expressed this _very_ colorfully with Cole, who just smirked at him with that same, infuriating look. The look that should have warned him that he was about to be pulled into the closet. 

Before he could smack away Cole’s grip, the black ninja had got him by the arm and playfully yanked him into the compartment. The rush of air from the pull sucked inwards, and the door slammed shut with the condemning tell-tale _click_ of the lock. 

The two stared wide-eyed at each other in shock. The color drained from Jay’s face. He was the last thing Cole saw before the pitiful lightbulb above them sputtered once, twice, three times, and subsequently died. 

It was really, _really_ dark.


	6. The Closet was a Metaphor the Whole Time!! I am Chronically Unoriginal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little heated in the broom closet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kai's sure taking his sweet sweet time getting that extra broom, isn't he

It took a couple seconds before the feeling of dread set in. 

“...Cole?” Jay’s voice shook slightly. 

“...Yeah?”

“...When we get out of here I’m gonna kill you.”

Cole could hear the voice across from him break as it spoke. Whether it was with anger or fear, he couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry man, I didn’t think it’d trap us in here,” Cole said with a nervous laugh. He wished that that was the complete truth. He hadn’t meant for it to _lock_ , at least. But part of him had wanted that door to close, to cut them off from everything else, to be completely and utterly alone with him; at least for a second. 

He could sense Jay’s breath on his face, catching the scent of mint gum. He could feel Jay’s soft hair underneath his chin, clean but unkempt. The wall on his back became painfully obvious, pressing himself up against it in a futile attempt to stay away. Had Jay always smelled this good? Like fresh sheets and the bread that he’d made yesterday, like soap and sunshine and rain? Cole shifted slightly, taking a sharp inhale as a last effort to separate himself from Jay. Instead, all he got was another breath of that smell, of _him_.

He hoped that Jay couldn’t feel the heat that was radiating off of his face as he became more and more overwhelmed with the beautiful simplicity that was so clean and warm and welcoming and wild, standing in front of him. 

“Are you… okay?” Jay croaked. “You haven’t breathed in like, thirty seconds.” 

“Yeah, y-yeah, I’m good.” Cole finally released the air clawing at his lungs, gasping slightly. He scrambled for an excuse. “I’m just not real big on tight squeezes, I guess?” _Yeah right. Earth Master, scared of small places? Really believable._

“M-me neither,” Jay said quietly. _Usually._

“I was trying to give you a bit more room.” Cole shifted slightly. “Is uh- is this any better?”

“Not really.” He couldn’t explain it, but somehow Jay felt calm. Despite the fact that he was locked in a _cupboard_ with a six-foot-something, cobwebs in his face and something unnervingly damp on the wall behind him, he was almost completely fine. Almost. But the emotion buried inside of him wasn’t fear. It was similar, the same shaking hands and jittery heart. But not the same. It was almost empowering. 

Jay shifted himself too, just barely shuffling to his right. “Is this any better for you?”

“I guess?” Cole couldn’t feel a noticeable difference, just a brush up against his chest. 

A brush up against his chest and a cold hand on the side of his neck. 

Jay’s heart threatened to pound out of his chest as he shifted his back to the door, guiding Cole to rotate up against the opposite wall. “What about now?”

Cole swallowed, suddenly overcome with nerves. Jay was so much closer now, and his scent filled Cole’s head and left him dizzy and red in the face. “Y-yeah, uhm, a-a little better.”

He felt Jay’s other hand on his cheek, gentle and smooth as it traced his cheek. His body pressed into Cole’s, warm and solid. “Now?”

Cole couldn’t even bring himself to say anything in response. He just found Jay’s face in the dark and brought it to his. Suddenly their lips were together, fierce and strong and fast. Cole cradled Jay’s face in his hands, tasting the sun on the tip of his tongue. Jay shuddered at his touch, tenderly moving one hand to Cole’s torso. He bit the other’s lip gently, sliding his fingers underneath the ripped shirt, feeling the movement of his muscles under his skin as Cole shifted to pull him closer, and-

He pulled his face away from Jay’s, panting for breath and warm. “Wh-” Cole stopped, digging for words. “W-what was that all about? I didn’t even think you were- or y-you were into-I thought you weren’t- what?”

Jay’s face flushed in the dark. He was silent for a long time.


	7. In Which there is the Setup For the Most Frustrating Troupe Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the closet/ Kai learns how to skate/ Jay gets a bad idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest one yet!!! The next is in progress :))

Kai shuffled back across the rink, this time with a third broom in tow. 

“Guys, let’s get cleaning so we can get outta here!” He shouted towards the closet. With a start, he noticed it was closed, and Jay and Cole were nowhere to be found. “Guys?”

Once he had finally slid over to the closet, he rapped on the door. “Are you guys in there?”

“Y-yeah!” came Jay’s voice from inside, shaky and nervous. Cole was next.

“The door closed on us and it got locked somehow,” he said, sounding just as rattled as Jay. Kai rolled his eyes. _Tch. I leave for two minutes and they can’t handle themselves._

“Well, does Jay still have the key? Slide it under the door and I’ll get you guys out.” In response, the small silver object was wedged underneath the crack on the floor. Kai reached down, grabbing it before unlocking the door. Two sweating, red, bumbling messes fell out as the closet swung open.

“Are you guys...okay?” Kai asked hesitantly. “Was it really that hot in there?”

Cole stared at him like a deer in the headlights, registering the question. “O-oh, like the closet? Y-yeah it was smoking in there. Like, a bajillion degrees,” He stuttered out. His eyes scrambled for something to distract him, landing on the broom in Kai’s hands. “Oh, you got one!” Cole took it, smiled nervously at the other two, and sped away towards the spot of ash on the floor.

Kai slowly turned towards Jay, his eyes full of suspicion. Jay stared into nothing, eyes wide and and face splotched pink. “Care to explain whatever _that_ was?”

Jay just absentmindedly grabbed one of the brooms leaning up against the wall and slid away.

Kai squinted at the two of them, watching them avoid looking at the other and apologizing profusely every time they touched as they swept. _Something’s definitely up._

Out of curiosity, Kai carefully turned and stuck an arm in the closet.

It was cold.

\---  
_Oh my God, Kai’s gonna kill me._

Cole hurriedly swept circles of ash across the floor, coughing at the plumes. _I just talked to him about his thing for Jay, and minutes later I’m making out with his guy. This has_ got _to be a direct violation of the Guy Code._ He snuck a look at Jay, who was intently looking at the floor. _I didn’t even initiate it,_ Cole thought firmly, shaking his head. _It’s not my fault._ This was shot down by a nagging voice in the back of his skull. _You didn’t stop him, either._

\---  
_Oh my God, Kai’s gonna_ kill _me_.

Jay watched a bead of sweat fall off of his face and onto the floor. Ash stuck to the floor where it landed, and he furiously scrubbed at the spot with the broom he held. _He never technically_ told _me he had a thing for Cole, but Kai sucks at hiding stuff like crushes._ He fought the urge to spit the taste of smoke out of his mouth as the clouds from the floor made their way to his lungs. _You’ve suspected it for_ months, _too, and you still pulled that stupid stunt._ Jay didn’t dare to look back at Cole, but glanced over to Kai, who was fruitlessly trying to make his way over, tripping over his skates. 

_I’ve got to tell him sooner or later._

Jay made up his mind.

\---  
Eventually, the floor was sufficiently swept. Cole carried a pan of ash and dust to the garbage can, dumping it with a satisfied sigh. 

“Okay, Kai,” He grinned. “Ready to learn?”

Kai nodded, smirking through his nerves. “How hard can it be?”

Jay giggled. “Famous last words, buddy.”

He slid to Kai’s left, putting an arm behind the ninja’s back. “A little help, Cole?”

Cole followed suit, supporting Kai from the right. Kai put his arms over the others’ shoulders, leaning against them. 

“Okay, so-” Jay and Cole both started. 

“Y-you go ahead,” said Cole, looking embarrassed. Jay nodded, even more awkwardly than usual. Kai’s eyes glinted with that same suspicion. 

“S-so, basically, it’s just like walking or running,” started Jay, slowly moving forwards. Cole followed his movement, getting the three of them sliding gently across the floor. “The trick is sliding your legs outwards and picking up your feet.” 

Kai watched as the ninja on his flanks demonstrated, pulling him along as they did so. It _did_ look a little like walking, if someone was trying to move forwards on slippery ice. 

He tried to slide a leg at an angle, overestimating and falling forewards. The other two gripped his back, holding him up.  
“Try making the steps a little shorter at first,” Cole offered. Kai nodded, shuffling in the same motion but at a smaller scale. He moved forwards without slipping. Kai looked up, a giant grin on his face.

“Did you see that? I moved on my own!” Jay smiled at his excitement.

“Good job!” As he turned to look at Kai’s skates, his hand brushed against Cole’s arm, braced against the red ninja’s back. He quickly re-adjusted, focusing intently on Kai’s progress. Cole tried his best not to look over at his friend as Kai stumbled again, and they both helped to steady him. As he fell forwards, both of their hands shot out to support him from the front. The combined shock of the contact of both of their hands on Kai’s bare torso and the sudden touching of Cole and Jay’s exposed biceps was enough to trip them all up; and within seconds they were a tangled, flushed heap on the floor. 

Kai sprung up first, dust smeared across his face. He swiftly moved around them, helping both of the others up before his face suddenly lit up. 

“I did it on my own! Did you see that? I just- I skated!”

Jay groaned slightly, giving a thumbs up while cradling a newly-bruised elbow. Cole grinned, wincing a bit. “Hell yeah! Great job, man!” He stuck out his knee, displaying a scraped knee. “D’you think there’s any chance the guy up front has some bandaids?”

“-Or a sink?” Jay wiped his finger across his cheek, showing them the smudge of grime left behind. “This place is still filthy and it’s rubbing off on me.” Kai surveyed the skating rink. 

“What kinda place doesn’t have a restroom?” he complained, taking in the sadly obvious lack of a bathroom door. 

“This place, apparently,” groaned Cole. He winced again as he brushed against his bleeding leg. “I’ll go see about those bandages.” Shuffling away, he made his way to the front yet again. Kai and Jay turned back towards each other.

Jay frowned, looking around one more time. He stopped his search at the glass doors of the rink. “There may not be a sink, but…” He grinned, pointing outside. Across the road, a city greenspace sprawled out for a couple blocks, trees and grass illuminated by neon signs lining the buildings around it. In the middle, an expansive fountain blossomed, spitting water out of an elaborate carved spout and into a wide basin, shining with coins at the bottom. 

Kai saw the idea forming in Jay’s eyes, and he knew there was nothing he could do to knock it out of the blue ninja’s head. _Here goes nothing._


End file.
